Multi-Kord

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 22 May 2002 7:23 am

Anyone have any info on the old 6 string Multi-Kord pedal steel that I think Gibson made in the 1950's. I just got it and it has 4 piano type damper pedals connected to the changer by small chains on the far left side. I want to set it up and tune the changer, and I need a setup procedure. It will have a C6 tuning on it. Thanks Duane Becker

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 22 May 2002 10:52 am

Hey Duane,
I had one of those years ago and I looked up the old tuning chart I got with it. I don't play C6th much and I changed mine to an E tuning shortly after I got it. Anyway when I got mine it had C6th on it and here's the way it was set up.

Basic tuning low to high:
C E G A C E

P1 raised string one E to F and lowered string 5 E to Eb.

P2 raised both the 2nd and 3rd strings a whole tone, C to D and A to B.

P3 raised string 1 E to F# and lowered string 4 G to F#.

P4 lowered string 2 C to B and raised string 6 C to C#.

Since I don't know that much about C6th I don't know if this is a very good set up or not but I thought I'd put it up for scrutiny by others more in the know....JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

Al Gershen · Post by **Al Gershen** » 22 May 2002 11:27 am

Hi Duane Becker:

The Multi-Kord was built by a company called the "Harlin Brothers" in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Here's an old postcard that I captured off of an auction on eBay that was included with the auction of one of their pedal steel guitars:

It shows that there really were Harlin Brothers and that they not only built their Hawaiian steel guitars but they also performed as a group.

If you use the Steel Guitar Forum Search Engine, you'll find many discussions about this old popular musical instrument.

Have fun.

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Regards,
Al Gershen
Grants Pass, Oregon. USA
Fender 1000 (1956),
Fender PS 210 (1971) &
Gibson Electraharp EH-820 (1960)
Al's Photos at http://www.alsphotographs.com

Al Gershen · Post by **Al Gershen** » 22 May 2002 11:31 am

Hi again:

The photo didn't come out well

because it's too wide for the <b.SGF's Internet structure which doesn't support horizontal naviagation.

Here's the URL to the photo:

http://www.rvi.net/~aldg/aldgs%20music%20photos/Pedal%20Steel%20Guitars/Harlin%20Brothers%20Multi-Kord/Harlin%20Brother's%20Postcard%20%23%202.jpg

Enjoy.

Regards,
Al Gershen

Al Marcus · Post by **Al Marcus** » 22 May 2002 4:08 pm

Nice picture Al, thanks for showing it.

Jerry Hayes-your tuning looks like you pretty well covered all the bases. You can get a lot of music out of that setup.

I met Jay in 1954 at his factory in Indianapolis. I brought my Gibson 1940 Electra-Harp down there and we could see that the Changer was very similiar, theirs had locknuts on the screws so it seemed to stay in better tune than the Electra-Harp, which had screw in soft metal, but when you kept changing screws, the threaded hole in the tuning bar got bigger and therefore would back out a little when you hit the pedal, throwing the pedal tuning off.
If you will notice that Jay had his built on a solid stand with wheels,making it pretty sturdy. But the production models had just the 4 fold up legs and it really wasnt too stable...Just a little more history......al

[This message was edited by Al Marcus on 22 May 2002 at 05:10 PM.]

Doug Seymour · Post by **Doug Seymour** » 22 May 2002 5:56 pm

Here's mine from 1954, the year I bought a used one, gave Bobbe my triple neck & never looked back! C E G A C E P1 2 & 6 to C#, P2
G to F#, P3 1 to F & 5 to Eb and P4 2 to D &
3 to B. I think I got these ideas from my buddy's Fender 400 manual?? (CRS) Similar to
today's Nashville C6th. I remember giving up
my volume pedal and sitting sort of sideways so I could use both feet on the pedals! Some 3 pedal combinations there! I love that picture of the Harlin Brothers....never saw that before< wow!!!

Duane Becker · Post by **Duane Becker** » 23 May 2002 6:12 am

Thanks to everyone for all the replys. Duane Becker